Stasi Bunker Museum

This item appears on page 62 of the June 2015 issue.

A bunker built in East Germany during the Cold War has been preserved in its original state. Housed in a former emergency center built from 1968 to 1972 for the regional Stasi director, the Museum Stasi-Bunker (Lübschützer Teiche, Flurstück 439, D-04827, Machern, Germany; www.runde-ecke-leipzig.de/index.php?id=253&L=1) is located just outside Leipzig.

Visiting the inside of the bunker is possible only on a guided tour. A tour is led when a sufficient group has formed. Visitors learn how the bunker functioned and hear of Stasi strategies and plans in case of a nuclear strike or other emergency. Visitors are free to wander the open-air exhibit on their own during hours of operation.

The museum is open from 1 to 4 p.m. two days each month (on the website, click on “Opening Times” for dates). Entry, 4 (near $4.40). To request an off-hours tour or for more info, contact the Citizens Committee of Leipzig (phone +49 341 961 24 43 or email mail@runde-ecke-leipzig.de).